The Los Angeles Chargers are flush with cap space, and that means general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh can be very aggressive in retooling their roster once free agency begins in less than a month.

Last year, Hortiz and Harbaugh were forced to search for bargains because of their tight cap situation. Certain players were simply off the table because they were too expensive. This year, every pending unrestricted free agent is accessible from a space standpoint. The Chargers have the sixth-most effective cap space in the league at $55.17 million, according to Over The Cap. This has the makings of a fascinating offseason, as Hortiz and Harbaugh decide where and how to allocate their considerable resources.

After watching the film, I have narrowed down the vast array of options to a list of 10 pending external unrestricted free agents I think make the most sense for the Chargers. These are all players I like. I have also factored in some projections on the positions I think Hortiz and Harbaugh will be prioritizing.

Before we dive in, a couple of notes:

1. You will not see any interior defensive linemen on this list. The Chargers got really good play out of their interior last season. Poona Ford, Teair Tart and Morgan Fox are all pending free agents. I think the Chargers will focus on re-signing those three players as opposed to shopping at the top of the market for interior rushers like the Philadelphia Eagles’ Milton Williams or the Dallas Cowboys’ Osa Odighizuwa. Harbaugh said in January he wanted to keep the roster as close to intact as possible from 2024 to 2025. If they can achieve that on the interior by re-signing Ford, Tart and Fox, then they will have a very capable group. And they can look for additional depth in the draft.

2. As far as edge rusher, I think the Chargers will be able to re-sign Khalil Mack, who is likely going to command a pretty sizable short-term deal. I also think they will end up moving on from Joey Bosa. The Chargers will save more than $25 million in space by cutting or trading Bosa. If these two things happen, the Chargers would have an edge room of Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree, with effectively one open spot. There are some intriguing names at the top of the edge free-agent market, namely the Eagles’ Josh Sweat, who had a dominant performance in the Super Bowl. But I think the Chargers would be better served shopping at the top of the market at other positions and looking to add that fourth edge rusher in the draft or in the middle market of free agency.

Lets get to it.

Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Will Higgins even hit free agency? That is the big question. The Bengals could sign him to an extension. They could place the franchise tag for a second time. There is a world in which Higgins never even tests the open market. If he does, though, the Chargers should absolutely be in the sweepstakes. Higgins just turned 26. He is an ideal fit for what the Chargers need in their receiver room — an outside ball-winner who can attack down the field in contested-catch situations. The Chargers cannot enter another season with Ladd McConkey as their only pass catcher who can consistently beat man coverage.

Trey Smith is coming off his first Pro Bowl nomination after allowing a career-low blown block rate, per Sports Info Solutions. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

Trey Smith, G, Kansas City Chiefs

The interior of the Chargers’ offensive line struggled last season. No game was worse than the playoff loss to the Houston Texans. I fully expect Hortiz and Harbaugh to be very aggressive in adding interior offensive line talent this offseason. And there would be no more aggressive move than signing Smith, the best offensive lineman on the pending free-agent market. Smith did not have his best game in the Super Bowl. But his body of work over four seasons in Kansas City is impressive. Smith would be a sizable upgrade over right guard Trey Pipkins III, who is a potential cap casualty. If Smith hits free agency, he will have plenty of suitors. His price could reach $25 million per year. It might be a slight overpay, but the Chargers have the room. And if they sign Smith, they would take away one of the best players from their biggest rival.

Drew Dalman, C, Atlanta Falcons

Sticking with the interior, the Chargers need a starting center for 2025. Bradley Bozeman, who played the most offensive snaps of any Charger last season, is a pending free agent. They should absolutely be looking to upgrade from Bozeman regardless. There are not a lot of starting center options between free agency and the draft. Dalman is far and away the best possibility. He is a well-rounded player as a pass protector and run blocker. He has the awareness and instincts that are essential for consistent center play. If Dalman reaches free agency, he should be near the top of the list of priorities for the Chargers. Dalman turns 27 in October.

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Will Fries, G, Indianapolis Colts

If the Chargers miss out on Smith, then Fries is the next guard I like the most out of a pretty deep group of free agents. His injury status will be a key component of the evaluation. Fries suffered a season-ending broken tibia in Week 5. Before that injury, however, Fries was playing at an extremely high level. He has a strong anchor in pass protection. He has power and versatility in the run game. Fries can bulldoze defenders but he also has the athleticism and body control to be a weapon as a puller. Fries is entering his age 27 season. He really only hit his stride in the early stages of last season. I see a lot of upside, as long as the medical situation checks out.

Kevin Zeitler, G, Detroit Lions

There are really two ways the Chargers can go in attacking the free-agent guard market. They can look for younger players entering their primes, like Smith or Fries. They can also take a shorter-term approach and sign an established veteran. There are plenty of options in both buckets. If the Chargers take that shorter-term approach, then I like Zeitler the best of the older veterans. Zeitler will turn 35 two days before the free-agency negotiating window opens. The age is a drawback. But on tape, Zeitler showed last season that he is still an elite and savvy run blocker. Zeitler also played for Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman for two seasons in Baltimore, and the scheme familiarity is an added bonus.

Baron Browning, right, had 9 1/2 sacks and 22 quarterback hits in parts of four seasons with the Broncos. (Norm Hall / Getty Images)

Baron Browning, edge rusher, Arizona Cardinals

Browning first popped up on my radar when he was playing for the Denver Broncos in 2022-23. He has game-wrecking potential. The Broncos ended up trading Browning to the Cardinals midway through last season for a sixth-round pick. Denver had a surplus of defensive linemen, especially with the emergence of edge rushers Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto. I like Browning because he would bring a different rushing element to the Chargers edge room. They do not have a true speed rusher, and that is Browning’s game. Browning also has a deadly inside spin move that led to several immediate wins last season. He will turn 26 later this month.

Ryan Kelly, C, Colts

Kelly turns 32 in May. He was limited to 10 games last season because of injuries, including a knee injury that required surgery during the season and knocked him out for five games. According to The Athletic’s Colts writer James Boyd, Kelly said his knee “may never be the exact same.” Still, he is the only external free-agent center outside of Dalman that I would consider. I thought Kelly was still playing at a pretty solid level when he returned from the knee surgery for the final three games. He can still move people in the run game. He would undoubtedly be an upgrade over Bozeman in pass protection. I would pair Kelly with a draft-pick center so the Chargers could start building some sort of long-term plan at the position.

Brandon Scherff, G, Jacksonville Jaguars

Scherff would be a cheaper option than Zeitler in the veteran guard market. He turned 33 in December. Scherff is not the same player he was early in his career, of course. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2020 before signing a huge deal with the Jaguars that ensuing offseason. Scherff does not move as well as he used to, but he makes up for it with craftiness as a run blocker and pass protector. I think he can still play.

Byron Murphy, CB, Minnesota Vikings

The Chargers found two starting corners in the fifth round last year in Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart. With safety Derwin James Jr. playing predominantly at nickel over the second half of last season, the Chargers could head into 2025 with Still and Hart on the outside and James at nickel. Do the Chargers want to add depth pieces behind Still and Hart? Or will they look to add more of a starting piece? Hart did struggle to stay on the field to a degree in his rookie season. He had two concussions and was also knocked out of the playoff loss in Houston with a shoulder injury. If the Chargers opt to look for a starting option, Murphy is my favorite cornerback in this group of pending external free agents. He can play inside and outside, and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter values versatility. I also like Murphy’s feel and eyes in zone coverage. No defense played more zone than the Chargers in 2024, according to TruMedia. Kristian Fulton, one of the starters outside for the Chargers last season, is a pending free agent. I think he we will end up signing elsewhere.

Mike Williams, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

We will conclude with a familiar face. There is a chance the Chargers do not want to pay $30 million for an outside receiver, which is what Higgins might end up costing. They could look for that outside ball-winner in the draft. But Williams is one receiver with that exact skill set who would not cost an exorbitant amount. And he has a built-in rapport with quarterback Justin Herbert from their four seasons together. I think the Williams reunion makes a ton of sense — if Higgins does not hit free agency or if his price is a non-starter for Harbaugh and Hortiz.

(Top photo of Tee Higgins: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)